SHLOMO is a new musical about the life of the the foremost Jewish Music personality of the 20th century, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. This video is brief interview with the play's Director, David Schechter. With a musical score that includes over 40 of Carlebach's soulful and joyous melodies, the musical journeys through the remarkable life of the troubadour who helped revive the Jewish spirit in the aftermath of the Holocaust:

From his family's narrow escape from Vienna just before Krystallnacht; his rising as a prodigious rabbinical student; his shocking break from the yeshiva world to become the first emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; to his departure from the Orthodox establishment to develop his own unique genre of the Jewish spiritual experience.

The show takes an unexpected twist when the young Rabbi Carlebach befriends a young, unknown Jazz singer named Nina Simone. His new anomalous friend introduces Shlomo to the Harlem Gospel spirit and the counterculture of the 60's Folk-Music scene, where he began performing at places like the Village Gate along side young artists like Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. He was soon discovered by the legendary rock producer, Milt Okun and Jewish music was never the same. After appearing at the 1966 Berkeley Folk Festival, he formed his own commune in Haight & Ashbury he called "The House of Love and Prayer." He later formed a commune in Israel where he ignited new wave of Israeli folk music. Shlomo also became the voice of hope for Soviet Jewry, traveling to Russia in 1969 and 1989, as well as touring Poland and Germany. He often performed midnight concerts under the West Side Highway for New York's homeless, many of whom he knew well and supported with his last dollar.

With his meteoric talent, boundless love and his personal charisma, Shlomo spent his life traveling the world, healing broken hearts and bridging cultural boarders. Thirteen years since his death, Shlomo Carlebach remains one of the most influential figure of the post-war Jewish experience, and yet, still largely controversial and misunderstood. Featuring 40 Carlebach hits in a Musical Score by the Arranger and Orchestrator of The Who's Tommy, Elton John's Aida, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Annie, and Grease.

An ALL-STAR BROADWAY CAST including two-time Tony Award Nominee Josie De Guzman, City Grass/Soulfarm singer Noah Solomon, with David Rossmer (Fiddler on the Roof) as Shlomo. Music By Shlomo Carlebach; Book by Daniel S. Wise; Lyrics & Direction by David Schechter; Additional Material by Neshama Carlebach; Choreographed by Michael Raine; Musical Score/Arrangement by Keith Levenson; Orchestrations by Steve Margoshes; Set by Beowulf Boritt; Costumes by Tobin Ost; Lighting by Jeff Croiter; Sound by Shannon Slaton. (More info and ticket/show info at: shlomomusical.com)